They Restored A Century Old Best Tracklayer TRACTORS Antiques Doug Shultz says that old crawler tractors were once prominent in Western Nebraska hay country but acquiring them from owners who hold them close to the vest can be difficult That was the case when he and his father Ted were on a “junking” trip in the late 1990s They stopped to visit grassland farmer Gilbert Fox who collected gas engines and owned a C L Best Model 30 Tracklayer Ted says it was a rusted relic but he and Doug saw it as a definite restoration project Doug peeled back the canvas covering the Tracklayer to reveal an engine without a head cover Water collected in the exposed pistons Parts were missing and the tracks were thoroughly rusted The Shultzs asked about buying it but Fox declined In the next few years Doug and his dad made several trips to the Fox farm and he promptly declined to sell them the Best Ted Shultz eventually offered to trade Fox single-cylinder gas engines for the Best and Fox accepted Doug says it was one of the happiest days of his life and one of the cleverest deals his dad ever made It was also the start of a long and strenuous process to bring the 30 back to working condition The engine was locked up and several small parts were missing including the air cleaner and the intake expansion tube The valve cover spark plug cover and magneto were broken but in good enough condition to provide a template for new castings Doug honed the cylinders installed new rings and cleaned up the connecting rods and bearings to bring the engine back to life Some valves had to be replaced and others were refurbished Most of the radiator fins were wavy and bent so rather than buying a replacement radiator Ted meticulously straightened every crooked fin over two days one at a time Despite its weathered condition the Best’s transmission only required minor adjustments Ted removed and disassembled the tracks then sandblasted the pads one at a time and painted them bright red New pins and rollers brought the tracks back to like-new condition Other mechanical work included casting a new air cleaner expansion tube and making a weed guard to protect the radiator Jerry Gast of Wapello Iowa made the new metal canopy and side curtains Ted sandblasted the entire machine then primed and finished it with black paint He hand-painted the gold BEST raised letters on each side and had special decals made for the gas tank grease cups and other attachments Ted says the restoration took him and Doug nearly a year to complete but the time and effort were definitely worthwhile Doug says their century-old 1923 model 30 is a scaled-down version of the Best 60 both primarily used in construction and forestry They eventually saw duty on ranches because their excellent traction and flotation made them ideal for pulling large stacks of loose hay from fields to stockyards The Shultz’s 1923 Best weighs about 8 100 lbs Its 4-cyl engine produces 32 1/2 maximum brake hp and 26 hp on the drawbar The carburetor is an Ensign Model GT and the ignition is a model ZR4 Bosch Magneto Doug says the engine usually starts on the second crank and both Shultzs agree it’s one of their favorite projects If the restored Best appears to be a relative of early Caterpillar models there’s an easy explanation C L Best and Holt Mfg Co merged in April 1925 to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company Early Caterpillar models were based on Best’s tracklayer designs C L Best was CAT’s first chairman and manufacturing was done at Holt’s East Peoria Ill plant Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ted Schultz 11700 Waverly Rd #27 Waverly Neb 68462 or Doug Shultz 2011 County Road A Ceresco Neb 68017

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